Nineteen Years
by blobjelly
Summary: story discontinued.
1. Chapter 1: Funeral

**Nineteen Years**

Great thanks to my friend Amy (aka: xSunlitDaysx), who helped me when I needed things altered, and gave me a second opinion on what I wrote.

Also, thanks to my new beta: Liz Hollow.

**!!Warning! Contains Spoilers to the 7th book. If you plan on reading it, or have not read it and do not want it spoiled, STOP READING!!**

After the Final Battle, the book just skips 19 years, and fast forwards to Harry and Ginny, sending their children to Hogwarts. I, however, was not satisfied with the complete unknowingness that J.K. Rowling handed us. It was as if one had paused near the end of the movie, and then just skipped to the end, and the bits and pieces that came together for the end never made their full impact on the watcher/reader. So here I am, to fill in the blanks of Harry and Ginny's relationship.

Mind you, I can't just have them immediately snogging their brains out, that's too sudden. That's why I chose the funeral as my first chapter. From here, their relationship will rise and fall, and at the end, they will be at platform 9 & 3/4, sending their children to Hogwarts.

I do not own Harry Potter, J.K Rowling does.

* * *

It was a week after the Final Battle; Voldemort was gone, yet no-one in the wizarding world was celebrating. Today was a day of mourning for those who had bravely sacrificed their lives for the fight against evil. It seemed as if the world was mourning with them, for the sky above was an overcast gray, threatening to rain, threatening to cry.

The funeral was held outside, and the caskets were all lined up. People were in front of them, giving their respects to the brave.

A sick feeling coiled itself in Harry's stomach, seeing all these caskets, knowing that their death was, in part, because of him. Harry knew that he must die and follow them there one day, but that would be somewhere far in the future, because Harry now had a reason to live. And that reason was standing next to him, in the form of a redheaded girl.

"Ginny..." Harry began, wanting to tell her that he loved her, tell her that he was sorry for her brother's death, that he understood the unbearable pain of losing someone close to you. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the words, and so, fell silent. However, catching sight of 

Fred's casket, Ginny began to cry, lightly at first, then harder, so that she was sobbing and gasping, fat tears trailing down her face.

"H-he was my br-brother Harry!" Ginny shook, her voice filled with sobs, "M-my brother! He wasn't sup-supposed t-to die!"

Harry, instead of putting his feelings to words, embraced her, and conveyed that he understood. He held her for a long while, while she sobbed into his chest. After a while, the sobs subsided, and Ginny lifted her head from his chest.

"T-thanks Harry," Ginny said, a little embarrassed for her sudden outbreak of tears. "It's just that… it was Fred, you know? It seems like he'll pop out any minute… and that this is just one of his elaborate jokes…"

Her voice trailed off, remembering the past.

"Want to sit down?" Harry offered, seeing Ginny wobble a bit. Ginny nodded her head slightly, and Harry began leading her to a nearby chair. On the way to the chair, however, he spotted Andromeda, in front of the caskets of Remus and Tonks, with tears flowing down her cheeks, clutching a five-month-old Teddy.

"Mummy? Daddy?" Teddy asked, innocent and unknowing.

A few more tears fell down Andromeda's face. "Mummy and Daddy are gone, sweetheart."

"Gone?" Teddy questioned, unsure of the strange word.

Harry looked away with tears in his eyes, and kept walking. He began wondering where the "nearby chair" went. And then, he froze, and could only stare at the grave next to him.

Ginny looked at Harry with understanding eyes, and whispered, "I'll be fine, you go on. I'll find myself a chair." And with that, she left, leaving Harry in front of Snape's casket.

For a while, Harry just stood there. And then the words came.

"Severus Snape. When I came to Hogwarts, I hated you. I had done nothing wrong, and still you found fault with me in Potions class. Yet, you protected me against Quirrell and braved a three-headed dog for me. In my third year, you tried to protect me from Sirius, a would-be murder. In my sixth year, when fleeing Hogwarts, instead of letting harm come to me through major spells, all you did was disarm me. In my seventh year, you gave us Gryffindor's sword, and tried your best to protect me from Voldemort. And all this time, you've loved my mother, and protected me for her."

With that, Harry fell silent, unsure of what else to say. And then it struck him, the perfect words.

"Severus Snape, you are the bravest man that I ever knew. Thank you."

* * *

_**Yay! First Chapter! Not much Harry/Ginny going on right now, but I promise it'll happen…**_

_**Do you like the last quote? ;)**_

_**Review? I promise that it'll make me write better, faster, ... and all that good stuff! Please review!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Outside

**Nineteen Years**

Chapter 2: Outside

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

Ginny stared out of the window, cursing the bright sky. It had only been a few weeks since the final battle, and she was still in mourning. The whole Weasley house, minus Ginny, was preparing for a party; Ginny, unable to stand the absolute happiness radiating from her Mum and Dad, hid in her room. So, she had sat on her windowsill, looking out at the world, and wondering why life went on when so many were lost.

Suddenly, she heard the telltale "pop" of someone apparating and sure enough, saw a figure emerge and walk towards the house. A few moments later, she heard her Mum open the door and let the person in, and could hear her Mum fussing over him/her. Deciding that the visitor had something to do with the party, and therefore nothing to do with her, Ginny went back to mourning for her friends.

She missed Fred, and was certain that if he were here now, he'd be teasing her for escaping the party preparations, asking her if she was day-dreaming about Harry or her "boyfriend". A tear trailed down her cheek, Ginny missed her brother so much, and she wondered how George handled losing his twin. George was as happy as Mrs. Weasley right now, who was just about buoyant with joyfulness.

And poor Teddy, who had lost both his parents in the Battle. He would grow up without ever knowing his own Mum and Dad, and Tonks and Remus would never see their baby boy grow up. This knowledge brought a few more tears to her eyes.

Very vaguely, she heard her Mum and the visitor exchange a few words, and it seemed as if he, according to the low pitch of the voice (although she couldn't be sure, for the party preparations were very loud), was asking for her. Although, she decided, that was highly unlikely, and that she had mistaken "Ginny" for "George", which, was an honest mistake due to the banging and yelling going on right now. Ignoring the mysterious visitor, Ginny stared out at the world, once again mourning for the ones who had lost their lives.

**Knock, knock.**

_'What now?' _Ginny wondered. _'Perhaps it's Mum again, trying to get me to help with the party.'_

"Come in," she said aloud, with a very audible sigh at the end, doubting her Mum's ability to understand the words "I want to be alone."

And when she turned around, instead of seeing her Mum, she saw Harry, standing in the doorway, with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Nice view," he joked, remembering the last time he entered Ginny's room.

Amused, Ginny smiled and asked, "Why are you here? Not that I don't want you to be here or anything, but I thought you were at your apartment with Ron."

"As a request from your Mum," Harry begun, and this earned a scowl from Ginny, who knew that her Mum was somehow involved, "I came to cheer you up."

"I don't need cheering up," Ginny argued, "I'm perfectly fine."

At this, George poked his head in and then casually walked into Ginny's room without knocking. "Hey Harry," George greeted Harry, and then turned to Ginny, "You know, Gin, some people don't define 'perfectly fine' as crying themselves to sleep every night and avoiding their family."

Ginny blushed, embarrassed. "Shouldn't you learn to knock, George? It's rude to walk into someone's room uninvited."

George didn't answer, only waited for Ginny to continue.

"I'm fine enough, I mean. But it still doesn't give a reason for Harry to visit me," Ginny concluded.

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but George interrupted him. "You do know that there's a preparation for a party, too, right? Maybe Harry came for that." He winked at Harry. "Didn't you hear? Fleur's preggers. And Mum's going practically insane with joy. Thus, the reason for the party. But Ginny here," at this, he nodded towards Ginny, "apparently isn't in the partying mood. She's been hiding in her room ever since the preparations started… or maybe it was when Fleur and Bill announced her pregnancy…"

"Either way," Harry began, cutting off George's musings, "It's not healthy, Ginny, to stay locked up in your room."

"Well," Ginny argued, "I don't feel like being happy right now. Not when so many lives were lost, only weeks before."

"So, what do you want to do?" Harry questioned.

"You're seriously asking what I want to do?"

A grin appeared on Harry's face. "Obviously, unless 'what do you want to do' means something else that I'm not aware of."

Ginny paused, only for a second, and then blurted out, "I want to go out."

"Out?"

"Yes, out, as in outside," Ginny answered, clearly annoyed.

"Well, out where?"

"I'll show you. Just trust me, it's a place I like to go to think," She looked around. "And where the hell did George go?"

* * *

"And where is this place again?" Harry asked patiently. They'd been walking for some time, as Ginny hadn't learned to apparate yet. Harry had offered to do side-along apparition, but Ginny said that she didn't know the exact location, and so they walked.

"We're almost there, be patient," Ginny chided.

After walking for another ten minutes, Ginny announced, "We're here!"

"Here?" Harry looked around. They were surrounded by a meadow filled with various flowers of every sort, and the grass was about knee-high. Ginny was already clambering up an ancient-looking tree, which had many knotholes for Ginny for grab and hoist herself up to a sturdy, flat branch. When Ginny had sat down comfortably, she motioned Harry to come up, and after several unsuccessful tries (which ended up with Harry very painfully falling on his bottom), he finally hoisted himself up to the branch.

"This is where I come whenever something happens," Ginny explained. "It's where I can think without the fuss from my mom, or Ron, or F-Fred and George…" At the mention of Fred, Ginny suddenly couldn't talk, couldn't think about anything other than her brother. It took nearly all her strength to try to keep in the tears, and even then, a few tears escaped, and flowed down her cheeks.

Harry put an arm around her, comforting her as best as he could. "You know," he said, grinning at Ginny, "You're a lot braver than me. When Sirius died… I refused to believe the truth. When Dumbledore tried to reason with me, console me… I basically broke half his things. Then, I couldn't face the truth, but Ginny, you did! You're even braver than me, the boy-who-lived, because of the simple fact that you accepted the facts. I never could." He shook his head. "I know how you feel, Ginny, Fred was like my brother, too."

Ginny couldn't speak, for fear of sobbing, and turned her head to his, so that their eyes met, green to brown. She saw the complete understanding and love hiding under his eyes and found her voice.

"Isn't this when you proclaim your love for me?" Ginny teased, half-heartedly.

"Not yet," Harry grinned, "I might scare you off."

And with that, Harry tenderly kissed her on the lips. Ginny closed her eyes, and felt the world right itself again. _'This is what love is'_ she thought, '_This indescribable feeling right now.'_

Harry gently released Ginny with a twinkle in his eyes. "Shall we go back home?"

* * *

Answers to the following reviews:

**xstarrynight61****, ****Voldy'sGoneMoldy**** & ****Meggie-Moo**: First of all, Teddy isn't fluent yet, all he's doing is questioning where his Mummy and Daddy are. He's not actually asking, per say. And after some research, I found out that babies CAN say mama and dada at 4-6 months. Let's just say that I took some artistic license on this. ;)

**forgequidditch106: **Sigh Did you not read the part where I said, "I can't have them immediately snogging their brains out"? Obviously their relationship HAS to progress, but in the first chapter I don't think it's very likely that anything romantic with happen at a funeral.

**sidlovesnancy1979, & everyone that commented: **Thank you so much for commenting, and I hope that you like chp. 2 enough to comment again.


	3. Chapter 3: Fleur's Preggers

**Chapter 3: Party Time**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

Harry and Ginny both knocked on the Burrow's door. When the door didn't open, Harry knocked again, harder, trying to be louder than the horrible racket inside the Weasley's house. When they were, once again, met with nothing but the loud noise, Harry lost his temper.

"Oy! We're outside, you know! Open this door!" he shouted angrily. When this too didn't have any effect, Harry turned around. "Come on, Gin, let's go to my apartment."

The door was suddenly jerked open. "Oh, sorry Harry!" Hermione shouted, raising her voice above the clamor, "I could barely hear a thing, not to mention your knocking. Hey Gin!" Hermione turned to Ginny, "I noticed that you sneaked away with Harry here." She winked.

"Oh… umm…" Ginny blushed, clearly embarrassed that she was caught with Harry. "Well…."

"Let them in Hermione," Ron interjected, appearing behind Hermione. "Hey Harry." He nodded to Harry.

"Hey," Harry replied, and then questioned, "has Fleur's party started yet?"

"Not yet, we're still waiting for Fleur and Bill. Mom's all worked up though, muttering about this and that… it's awful," Ron grimaced. "Here, come on in, and whatever you do, don't mention balloons."

"Balloons?" Harry and Ginny both questioned at once.

"Yeah, just don't mention it." Ron sent a pleading look to Harry.

"Harry? Is that you?" Mrs. Weasley hurried into the entrance. "You're back so soon? Come into the kitchen, you could help with the decorations."

As Harry walked into the kitchen, he could see what Ron meant about the balloons. There were balloons everywhere, and each of them all said different things: "Happy Birthday!", "Congrats!", "Happy Halloween!"

"Mom," Ginny started, ignoring Ron's comment about not talking about the balloons, "there's an awful lot of…"

"Food!" Harry interrupted, and sent a pointed look at Ginny. "And it all looks delicious."

"Oh, thank you, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley gushed. "It's for the party, you know. You can never have too much! And speaking of 'too much'…" And with that, Mrs. Weasley left to attend to the banner, which currently said, "Fleur's Preggers Party!", which was probably one of George's pranks.

Left alone in the kitchen with Ginny, Hermione, and Ron, Harry turned and said, "I see what you meant by the balloons. Should we fix them?"

The next hour was spent altering the balloons with magic, so the kitchen looked less like a balloon madhouse. Finally done with the balloons, the gang sighed with relief.

"I didn't know so many balloons could fit into one house!" Ginny wheezed.

"Where did your mum get all these things?" Hermione questioned, out of breath.

_DING DONG!_

Mrs. Weasley practically ran to the door, nearly throwing the door off its hinges in her rush to get it open. Mr. Weasley was right behind Mrs. Weasley, jumping up and down nervously, muttering something about a grandkid.

"Fleur!" Mrs. Weasley cried, wrapping her arms around Fleur, who looked quite startled. "It's so lovely to see you! How's my grandchild coming? Has she been kicking? It better be a girl, we have too many boys in the Weasley family already…"

"Mum," Bill interrupted, "It's only been three weeks. It's too soon to tell, and," he added, glancing at Fleur, "we want it to be a surprise."

"Bill, I'm so proud of you," Mr. Weasley beamed. "I've been waiting for grandchildren for such a long time!"

George elbowed his way through his parents. "Mum, Dad, jeesh, let them breathe! You're practically smothering Fleur!"

Fleur looked up from Mrs. Weasley's arms. "Fleur's Preggers Party?" she questioned, looking at the sign.

Mrs. Weasley flushed, "Didn't I change that sign? George?" She turned to George, intent on questioning him on why the sign had changed back, but he had already disappeared.

"Enjoy the party!" Mrs. Weasley smiled, and then muttered under her breath, "I'm going to catch that trickster…" She promptly left the room, leaving everyone else clamoring to talk to Fleur. Everyone except Ron and Hermione. The new couple was in their own little corner, oblivious to anyone else in the room.

"I'm only three weeks pregnant! The baby isn't going to be that big yet!" Fleur said, after the 10th person had patted her stomach.

"Oh, look," Harry whispered into Ginny's ear, "it looks like there's going to be a baby phlegm."

Ginny giggled. "Stop that! Although… imagine the combination of veela and werewolf!" Both Harry and Ginny burst out laughing.

The next hours of the party passed similarly, with Fleur and Bill the main stars and Harry and Ginny quietly joking about Fleur's pregnancy on the sidelines.

After the party died down a bit, Harry insisted on talking to Ginny privately. The two of them silently sneaked down the hallway to Ginny's room.

Stopping outside her door, Ginny turned around. "What is this about?" She gestured to them alone.

Harry grimaced, "I'll tell you, just, let's go inside your room first. I don't want your mum overhearing this, she'll have a fit."

"Okay, Harry," Ginny sighed, and opened the door. Inside they discovered Ron and Hermione, wrapped around each other in a very compromising position, snogging each other. They seemed to not notice Harry and Ginny in the room, and they only looked up when Ginny cleared her throat loudly. Hermione, suddenly noticing the company, practically jumped away from Ron, who had a bemused expression on his face.

"So, I guess it's your turn to walk in on us, eh?" Ron smirked, while Hermione blushed even deeper.

"Yes, it is," Ginny said, before Harry could begin. "Get your own room, Ronald." She threw him a frustrated glance.

"Sure, Ginny. Want to move to my room, Hermione?" Ron winked. Hermione could only blush deeper, while Ron took her hand and led her to his room.

After Ron and Hermione had left, and the door was securely locked, Ginny turned to Harry. "So….? What's all this about?"

"This is all about… me leaving." Harry paused. "I… I got a invitation to join the Kenmare Kestrels, and I want to go."

"The Irish National Quidditch team?" Ginny was speechless.

"The very same… You know, playing Quidditch as a professional was a dream that I had, but I never thought that I'd actually make it, and now… my dream's come true!" Harry smiled.

"So, why aren't you happy?" Ginny questioned, staring into his green eyes. "Why are you so sad?"

His eyes closed. "Because I'll have to leave you."

"That's no problem, you can visit anytime!"

"But that's the problem. Until I finish the training, I can't leave. I won't be able to visit for months… maybe a year."

Ginny took his hands in hers, and Harry opened his eyes and looked at her. Eyes that told him that she loved him, and would do anything for him.

"I'll wait for you, forever if I have to."

* * *

Check out Wikipedia, the Kenmare Kestrels are the Irish team. I did my homework.

First of all, I'd like to apologize for the long wait. I was uninspired for the longest time, and I can't write like that. So, SORRY EVERYONE!

Okay, so I took an artistic license with Harry's job. I know he's supposed to be Head Auror, but for this fanfic, please ignore that fact and pretend that Harry goes for Quiddatch, because part of my plot requires Harry to leave for longs periods of time, and Auror isn't going to cut it. You'll see what I mean.

Thank you everyone for reading, and I'd really appreciate it if you review!

**Special special thanks to Liz Hollow**, my beta. My fanfic would be 10x worse without her!


	4. Chapter 4: Waiting

**Chapter 4: Waiting**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

Ginny sat on her windowsill and gazed out at the sunset. The vivid colors would usually amaze her, but she was too deep in thought. It had been three months since Harry had left. She thought back to the day he had left.

.

.

.

It was July 25th, the day that Harry was supposed to leave for his Quidditch training. His bags were all packed and ready to leave. Mrs. Weasley, in the kitchen, was preparing several sweets for Harry's trip. Although he had politely refused, Mrs. Weasley had teared up, and Harry had to agree. He was currently waiting in the room that he and Ron had temporarily stayed in, and was musing to himself, up until three knocks had penetrated his thoughts.

"Come in, Ginny." Harry smiled. Ginny always knocked three times, as it was her habit.

Ginny walked into the room with a present wrapped in red paper, with a gold bow on top. "Here, Harry, for your birthday, because you're leaving so early."

"No kiss this time?" he joked, and Ginny smiled. Harry took the gift and unwrapped it to find a small mirror. "Thanks?"

"Oh! I didn't explain to you yet, did I? Well, this mirror is jinxed to show you anything you want it to show. All you have to do is say the place. For instance," she took the mirror from Harry, held it up to her eye level, and loudly proclaimed, "the Burrow!" Sure enough, the Burrow materialized in the mirror.

"Now this is the cool part," Ginny continued, and then said, "Kitchen!" The Burrow was replaced by the Weasley's kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was seen fussing over a cake. She handed the mirror back to Harry.

Harry grinned. "Thanks, Ginny! Now, it's time for your present." He riffled through his bag and brought out a small rectangular box.

"Err… Harry, during your birthday, you're not supposed to give other's gifts," Ginny reminded Harry.

Harry sighed. "I know that Ginny. It's just that, I'm missing your birthday, too, so I might as well give it to you now." He handed her the box, and watched her unwrap her gift.

"Oh, Harry, it's beautiful." She held up a silver necklace and examined it. It was rather simple, with only a lightning bolt charm dangling from the chain. She put it on, and admired herself in the mirror.

"You like it? It's not too plain?"

"No, I love it. It's absolutely perfect," reassured Ginny.

Harry grinned. "This way, you can remember me when I'm gone."

Ginny turned away from her reflection in the mirror, and looked at Harry. "I'll never forget you, even if you're gone for a hundred years. I'll always remember."

.

.

.

Ginny remembered that day perfectly. He had left, and she had stayed.

She absent-mindedly played with her necklace, watching as the silver reflected the last rays of the sun. _Where are you, Harry?_ She wondered. _How are you? Why don't you write me?_

She had written several letters and Pig had delivered them to Harry, but each time, she got no reply.

_Why don't you reply?_

She had promised to wait. So, she did.

She waited, and waited… and watched the sun slowly dip beneath the horizon.

* * *

Very very sorry for the short chapter, but I don't want to ramble on and on about Ginny being lonely. Because after a while, my writing gets really bad. :)

Anyways: Thanks for Reading! Please please PLEASE **Review!**

**Answer to reviews:**

**Nasimrochester:** wait… wah? "The whole truth in the Magazines and stuff like that?" Do you mean, add more Ron/Hermione in? Or what? Please be more… clear.

**Nightwing27 & Others whom apply:** I DO appreciate the fact that you review. In fact, I practically love you, but next time, could you put more thought into your review? For instance, point out specific places where you liked it, or disliked it. This really helps my writing. Thank you!

Super Special Thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed. The slowly rising number of reviews always helps me write.

AND: I love my beta, Liz Hollow, everyone give her a round of applause. :)


	5. Chapter 5: Forgive

Chapter 5: Gone

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

Because time would never stop for any one person, life went on. Ginny was soon plagued with issues such as buying Hogwarts textbooks, quills, and cauldrons. At one last attempt, Ginny wrote a final letter to Harry.

_Dear Harry,_

_Since you haven't replied to any of my previous letters, I don't expect you to reply to this one. To be blunt, I've moved on. I'm going to Hogwarts soon, and this will be my last letter to you. _

_How could you, Harry? How could you? I told you I'd wait forever, but the least you could do is reply to my letters. Each time Pig returns without a letter from you, my heart breaks. But I won't waste your time telling you about my heart._

_You're entering the Quidditch profession, and I'm going to Hogwarts. You're going on your path, and I'm going on mine. Perhaps our paths will cross again, but for now, you're growing more and more distant._

_Enclosed in this letter, you'll find my necklace, the one you gave me for my birthday. What it symbolizes, I'll leave to you to find out._

_Ginny_

She sent Pig with the letter, and then left for Hogwarts.

* * *

Ginny was soon swept up in the chaos of 7th year, and Harry was soon pushed to the back of her mind. Only on the Hogwarts Express, heading home for Christmas break, did she finally have to time to think about Harry. And the whole train way home, she stared out at the snow-covered landscape and thought.

* * *

Ginny was greeted at platform 9 ¾ by her mum and dad, and the car ride home was all about the grand Christmas party that they were planning, filled with sweets, presents and balloons. Ginny was nearly silent the whole time, nodding when appropriate, her head filled with thoughts of a certain black-haired boy.

* * *

"You know," Hermione whispered to Ginny at the Christmas party, "you can't avoid him all day. I'm surprised you even managed to evade him for this long."

Ginny couldn't say anything, her eyes watching the raven-haired boy that she once loved. He was sitting in a chair, and when he spotted Ginny, he stood up and slowly made his way toward her.

"Ginny!" Hermione called in exasperation, when she saw that Ginny had turned around and headed to a different room. "Sorry," she mouthed to Harry, who shrugged in return, as if to say, 'What'd you expect?'.

* * *

"I mean, how could he do that to me?" Ginny complained to Luna, who was mouthing along to the Christmas song that was playing. "How could he do that and still expect me to talk to him?"

Luna shrugged. "Come on, let's go to this room." She tugged Ginny to an empty room, and shut it behind them.

Ginny looked around in confusion, until she saw was a standing in a corner. Her eyes narrowed, and she turned to Luna. "Would you like to explain this?"

"You know," Luna said wistfully, "Harry really wants to talk to you. Be nice to him." And with that, Luna opened the door and left the room.

Ginny took one look at Harry standing there and immediately turned to the door, trying to open it. When she found that it was locked, she began furiously pounding on the door. "Let me out, dammit!"

During this angry outburst, Harry had walked to Ginny, and he put a hand on her shoulder. Ginny suddenly stiffened, and turned around swiftly with a glare. Brushing his hand away, she looked at him with an irritated expression.

"If you don't step back, I swear, I'll curse you into next week," Ginny threatened, and gripped her wand.

Harry stepped closer. "Try me, love."

'_LOVE?! Did he just call me love? Oh, that bastard'. _In a very calm voice that just barely concealed her anger underneath, Ginny replied. "Did Fred ever tell you what my bat-bogey hexes are like?" She clutched her wand tighter.

Harry took a small step back. "Aw, Gin, do you really hate me that much?" He smiled.

Ginny didn't say anything, just glowered in response.

He sent her a pleading look. "Look, I just wanted to talk to you alone."

"Well, we're alone. Are you happy?" Ginny scoffed.

"No, not very," Harry replied.

Ginny gave him a puzzled look. "We're alone, and talking. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes, it is. But I can't be happy if the woman I love hates me." He pulled out the letter from his pocket and held it up. "Did you mean it?"

Ginny looked away, her anger slowly disappearing. She found it harder and harder to hate the man in front of her. "At the time, yes, I did."

"But now, do you?" Harry pressed.

Ginny buried her face in her hands. "I don't know! I don't know anymore!" She started crying, her whole body shaking with suppressed emotion flowing out.

Harry hugged her, and pulled her close. "It's okay, Ginny. It's okay."

"Why didn't you write back? Why didn't you? I missed you so badly." Ginny sobbed.

"I couldn't, Ginny. Each time I started writing, I felt so fake. The words on the parchment weren't _mine_. I couldn't bring myself to send you the letters." Harry put his face in her red hair. "I still have each and every one of your letters. I'm so sorry for hurting you."

They stood like that for a long time, with Harry's arms wrapped around Ginny. When the sobs subsided, Ginny asked, "Where's the necklace?"

Harry let go of Ginny, and pulled the silver necklace from his pocket. "I kept it of course. Would you like it back?"

Ginny hesitated. "If I did take it back, what would that symbolize?"

Harry grinned. "I'll leave that to you." He draped the necklace over her head, and helped her with the clasp.

"I love you," Ginny whispered, suddenly aware of his close proximity.

"As I love you." Harry bent his head and kissed her.

In that moment, Ginny could think of nothing but him: his lips, his touch. She brought her body closer to his and deepened the kiss.

The door burst open. "Hey! Harry! Are you done making up with… oh. Oops!" Hermione quickly peeked her head out and shut the door.

Both Ginny and Harry blinked several times, and then realized that the door locked from the outside at the same time, and rushed to the door, banging and yelling. "Hermione! Let us out! HERMIONE!"

* * *

"Jeesh, mate, what happened in there? Sure took long enough," Ron said to Harry, who just grinned in response.

"What do you think happened?"

* * *

"So," Hermione questioned Ginny, still pink from barging in on them, "what happened?"

"Oh, nothing." Ginny smiled, the silver necklace gleaming on her neck.

* * *

Well, that's Chapter 5! Hope that it makes up for the shortness of Chapter 4. And sorry about how quickly Ginny changes, from anger to love in about... 10 mins. You have to understand, that underneath all that anger, Ginny still loves Harry, and that's why the anger left so quickly.

First off, I'd like that thank Amy, xSunlitDaysx, for helping curb my writer's block and giving me ideas for this story. Second, I'd like to thank my beta, just because she's awesome.

**AnkokuSama:** Are you happy with this explaination? If not, don't continue reading. I'm sorry that you're angry at my plot, I mean, Harry and Ginny can't have a perfect relationship and immediatly fall in love. And also, I don't appreciate your threatening to not read my fanfiction. If you don't want to read it, then don't.

**readaholic828:** Eh... I'm sorry my story is depressing. How 'bout this ending: Harry and Ginny loved each other. They married, had three kids and lived happily ever after. xD

**gryffindorpride1007: **I do love the fact that you reviewed. And trust me, I will update. So please don't devote an entire reivew jsut saying that. Make it constructive and helpful.

**Thanks all reviewers! You have a special place in my heart... **not really. Although, I do appreciate you taking the extra time and making me happy. :D

**R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Acceptance

**Nineteen Years**

Chapter 6: The Acceptance

I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

This situation was not very appealing, at all, in Harry's mind.

Between long hours of sitting and waiting, Harry was also being pulled from store to store. And it was all because of Quidditch.

The day before, he had asked Ginny to accompany him to the Irish National Quidditch acceptance party, and in return, he had allowed her to take him along for dress shopping,. This hadn't sounded bad until he had heard Ginny exclaim, "Look at all these SHOPS!"

It was an absolute nightmare. He couldn't comprehend why girls have to go through so many outfits.

Harry watched Ginny pose in at least thirty dresses so far… and they had only gone to two stores. Once, Ginny had walked through the changing room curtains in a perfectly good black dress, only to say that it didn't fit right, and step right back in and change into a different dress.

Harry could not help but to ponder why girls were so picky, though as he did so, Ginny walked out in a beautiful, glowing green dress.

It was a gorgeous deep green one-shoulder dress that accented her bright red hair, and contrasted nicely with her pale skin. The one strap was covered with rosettes, and it flowed down to the bodice, which wrapped around her torso, and then flowed down to her knees. The short crop of the dress showed off Ginny's long legs, toned from Quidditch practice.

Harry could only stare, and after an awkward moment, he managed to collect himself enough to say, "It's…"

He paused, unsure of how to describe the dress, for calling it beautiful didn't seem to fully encompass how absolutely stunning Ginny looked in the dress.

"Perfect," Ginny finished for him, smiling as she twirled around in the dress. "I love it."

This, Harry decided, was why girls strived for the perfect dress, for the feeling of absolute beauty that was currently radiating off Ginny. And he smiled.

* * *

"Ginny, we need to leave in three minutes," Harry gently reminded Ginny, who was in a mad rush to fix her hair and put on make-up at the same time.

"Boys have it easy," Ginny complained. "All you have to do is take a shower and then put some clothes on. Girls have to take a shower, put on make-up, do our hair, _and_ have the perfect dress." She said this all while putting her hair up in an elegant bun, allowing several tendrils of hair to escape.

After putting some finishing touches of her make-up on, Ginny checked herself over in the mirror. Content, she allowed herself to be escorted out the room by Harry, and they left for the acceptance party.

* * *

"As you know, the previous seeker for our team has retired after thirty years of Quidditch, and after several months of training with us, we decided that Harry was a perfect match for our team. We are more than glad to accept Harry Potter, the famous Boy-Who-Lived, into our Quidditch team."

This was accompanied with a thundering applause. When it died down a bit, the speaker continued.

"And here is Harry himself to say a few words."

Harry walked up to the podium, magically amplifing his voice.

"Thank you, everyone, for having me here. It's really an honor to be accepted into the team, and I'm really looking forward to my future playing Quidditch professionally."

Applause thundered, and Harry had to pause in his speech.

'_This is going to be a long night…'_ Harry sighed and waited until the applause lightened before beginning again.

"As many of you know, I had always dreamed of being a professional Quidditch player when I was younger…"

* * *

Harry walked down from the podium, and was immediately attacked by a slew of reporters.

"Harry Potter! How do you feel now that you've been accepted into the team?"

"How do you feel about your acceptance?"

"Erm… I feel great, thanks. This night is very surreal. It's my dream come true." He smiled.

The reporters surged again. "Harry! Is it true that you and Ms. Ginny Weasley are dating?"

"What? No, it's not like that, we're just good friends is all." Harry was taken aback. Were they dating? They had kissed… but it was never openly announced that they were going out.

And with that, the onslaught of questions continued, with a confused and befuddled Harry Potter answering them.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! I'm very sorry about the meshing of multiple chapters. I really wanted to write an entire devoted to the dress shopping, but alas, school took over my life. Which is also why I haven't uploaded anything in a good two months.

About the disappearing act: VERY SORRY. Truly sorry. But it's going to happen again… because between all honors classes and Ap Euro, I'm going to have to devote more of my life to school, and less to fanfiction.

**Franshes**: I do know that. But I decided for this fanfic that Harry is going to be a Quidditch player for future plot points. I'll give you a hint: Quidditch players get more paparazzi than Aurors.

**gryffindorpride1007**: No, no. It's fine really. I really do appreciate your commenting though. Nothing makes me feel better about my fanfic than reviews :D.

**RainCloudDreamer:** Thank you so much!

**Liz Hollow**, my beautiful beta, and her AP English course, thank you SO much! I can't believe how wonderful you are! Sticking with me through my 2 month absence and beta-ing my chapter in less than a day, I think you deserve an award!


	7. Chapter 7: The After Life of the Party

**Chapter 7**: **The (After) Life Of the Party**

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, of any of the characters.

* * *

He was in trouble.

The acceptance dinner had started, and as Harry walked back to their table, he could clearly see Ginny looking back at him furiously. With a slight hesitation, Harry sat down at their table and ordered the Roast Beef with Potatoes, which magically appeared in the silver plate in front of him. Turning to look at the menu, Ginny ordered a Mushroom and Swiss Chicken and stabbed at her meal with her fork. Harry silently prayed that she wasn't imagining that he was that piece of chicken which she was so intent on torturing.

Attempting to start up a conversation and failing miserably, Harry soon grew quiet and finished his dinner. When he was almost finished with his potatoes, Ginny finally spoke.

"Harry Potter, you are so difficult!" Ginny glared at him, daring him to speak.

Harry silently looked into her deep brown eyes, searching them for a reason, any reason, for her current furious state. It turned out that he didn't need to, for, soon after, she answered his question.

Meeting his eyes once more, and then quickly darting her eyes down to her mutilated chicken, Ginny continued.

"Why did you deny that you were dating me?" she said in a harsh tone, poking her chicken once more.

Relieved, Harry smiled. "Oh, that's all you're worried about?"

She turned to him angrily. "That's all? That's ALL? I waited for you for god-knows how long to come back from Quidditch, and that's all? You take me to this acceptance party as your date, and yet I'm still not considered your girlfriend?"

This was getting dangerous. Harry had to choose his next words very carefully, and continued, "I just… didn't want to say, without full acceptance from you," he looked at her pleadingly, "I mean, we've never actually said that we were dating."

"Never?" Ginny questioned, and then gestured to where the necklace that Harry gave her was lying on her neck. "Then what is this then? I thought it meant something!"

"It does! But…" Harry paused, and then was interrupted by Ginny again.

"But what? I'm tired of all these 'buts'. I can't stand this, Harry! I really can't!" In one fluid motion, she yanked off the necklace, placing it on the table, and stood up. Apparating, she left Harry stunned with hundreds of people gawking at him.

Before the reporters from the Daily Prophet could swarm over him, Harry picked up Ginny's necklace and left, quickly apparating to his apartment.

...

Back in his apartment, Harry sighed.

_How did everything go so wrong?_

He closed his eyes, silently wishing for the peace that came with sleep. His last thoughts echoed through his mind, haunting him even in his sleep.

...

The next morning, Harry was woken by a delivery owl holding the Daily Prophet. Grabbing the paper and paying the owl a few sickles, Harry opened the newspaper to find horrifying news on the front page:

_**BREAK UP WITH THE BOY-WHO-LIVED?**_

_Yesterday night was Harry Potter's acceptance party for his joining the Kenmare Kestrels, a event made for much celebrating. The dinner was fantastic, and the band was swinging._

_However, there was trouble in Mr. Potter's love life._

_Although he stated that he was not currently dating Miss Ginny Weasley when asked, he had brought her to the acceptance party as his date. Starting off with an inspiring speech, the night soon ended with Miss Weasley angrily tearing off the necklace, which was given to her by Mr. Potter, and apparating._

_John Durke, a replacement for the Kenmare Kestrels, said that he heard Miss Weasley bickering about something, and then ran off. _

Harry put down the paper and threw it into his fireplace, allowing the words to turn into ashes.

_How did everything go so wrong?_

* * *

It's been such a long time since I last updated, and I'm real sorry. 

But, bright side: You get this chapter.

Not-so-bright side: You have to wait another month or so for the next one.

It seems like my chapters are getting shorter and shorter.

.

.

**stargirl884:** I hope that this chapter answers your question, and yes, I'm trying to update as much as I can, but generally, I have to wait until breaks in school, otherwise I don't have time.

**YoursTruly13:** Thank you! Lots of people question me making him a Quidditch Player, so your support means quite a lot.

**nightwing27****, ****violet-phoenix-rose****, ****Gandalf the Grey-Edelwiess****: **Thank you for commenting! :D

**Liz Hollow****: **I love you, don't know what I would do without you!


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